The Other Side
by startlinggrey
Summary: Annabeth is sick of the rich kid life. When she meets a drunk Percy at yet another fancily-thrown party, she assumes he's like everyone else. But he gets to live two lives: one life like her, and one life like the one she dreams of. What will she risk to have a life like Percy Jackson? To live like a normal teenager?
1. Chapter 1

_Another day. Another party._ I thought, leaning up against a pillar. Yeah- a pillar. In fact, there are six leading into my 'house'.

"You will not call _it_ that. _It_ has a proper name. A manor. Chase Manor." I heard my step-mother's voice berating me and groaned. The fact was that I, Annabeth Chase, was one rich kid. Sorry- a _prosperous_ young women. Rubbing my temple, I let out another groan and slid down the pillar a ways. My ice clinked in my class as I took another sip. At least there was alcohol; everyone drank because you didn't care when you had plenty of money to throw around. I wasn't particularly fond of the stuff, but it made these events a little easier to manage. I heard a round of laughter from inside and scooted further away. The night had grown dark while I'd been inside and the lights on our hedges had come on. And while I hated these parties, and the people invited to them, I loved where I lived. We were atop a small hill that didn't quite overlook anything, but if you stood just right you could see city lights flickering in the distance. Trees surrounded and shaded, while flowers bloomed where sun hit during the day. But at night- all lit up- the place looked magical. And although I hated our big house, it was a gorgeous work of architecture. You see- that's what I wanted to be, and living in a place like ours inspired me. Another burst of laughter came from the house, but I kept watching the city beyond.

At eleven, my parents started leading guests out. I scooted around the corner of my pillar in an attempt to hide, but my step-mom saw me and called out.

"Annabeth, come say goodbye to our guests." I swore under my breath, but smoothed out my dress and tucked blonde hairs back into its fancy up-do before making my way- slowly- over to the door. Some people passing me stumbled or hiccuped- my parents must've not kept track on their drink count; they never appreciated drunks. My step-mother gave me a once-over and turned me towards the guests.

"Be polite." she hissed in my ear. I rolled my eyes. Don't even get me started on the formalities- it's like we're the royal family or something. But I _thanked them for coming_ anyway and added a couple of _nice to see you's._

Once the door closed and everyone was gone, it was my father, my step-mother, and me looking at each other blankly. My two brothers were asleep- they weren't quite old enough to come to these things (but I couldn't wait until they were, so I didn't have to suffer alone). I turned and headed to my room, not wanting any criticism about how I had been scarce at the party _again._ I didn't even make it half-way up the grand staircase before ripping off my shoes. This pair had rubbed something awful on my ankles. Once in my room, I shed my dress- leaving it to wrinkle, and hopefully die, on the floor- and dug through my drawer for a giant t-shirt. I snagged some socks, put them both on and jumped into bed. I pulled my covers close and lay there, pretending I was a normal kid in a normal house with a normal family. And then I clapped my hands to turn my lights off.

* * *

The castle loomed before us. My date, no less than a gentleman, stepped out of the limousine first and offered me his hand.

"I can help myself, thanks Luke."

"A point you've made very clear Annie."

"Annabeth-" I grumbled, folding my arms.

"Right, whatever- we should make a right proper entrance then you and I can go different directions. Deal."

I looped my arm in his as my response. As we approached the entrance, two butlers opened the doors revealing a huge flood of light. Chatter reached our ears as we stepped inside. The place was colossal- and any up and coming children of prosperous businessmen were there.

"Care to join me for one dance?" Luke questioned but I just scoffed, folding my arms.

"Suit yourself, but make sure your mummy and daddy know I offered." he left with a wink and I had no doubt I wouldn't see him again that night. Not that I cared- I hadn't picked Luke. No, he was a proper boy, someone my family would find perfectly suitable to marry someday. Besides, without Luke I could explore the place. When I was younger, I'd visited. I glanced around to see if anyone was paying attention to me (they weren't) and I slipped up the stairs. It was an open balcony over the ballroom, so I still heard the music and talk. There were old family pictures and portraits hanging on the walls. Old trophies and awards, family emblems: the stuff prestigious families kept. Most of the pictures had frames labeled with an event, a date, and the name Andrew Poseidon. Hearing a shuffling noise, I glanced around, but, not seeing anything, kept going.

I turned a corner where a single statue stood of an old guy. _Probably Andrew Poseidon._

The further I went down the balcony, the newer the pictures became. Wedding pictures and certificates, birth and death certificates. Some family portraits, but those were scare. Then there was a picture of a guy and a girl with a child. I'd seen the guy in previous pictures, but never the girl. I went back to find one with his name. He was simply referred to as Poseidon and I couldn't locate a marriage certificate for him. _Maybe it's his friend... no, it must be important if it's hanging here._ I kept walking and I found pictures of the three of them. The baby was maybe one or two with dark hair and brilliant green eyes. The pictures then became more recent, and it was just the mother and the boy. The boy was older, seven or eight, in these. Then it jumped again- to one with all three, the boy had his eyes closed and was blowing out birthday candles. The numbers 1 and 2 were stuck in the cake. I narrowed my eyes. He looked familiar... he had been here when I had visited before. What was his name?

"And what are you doing up here?" A voice called behind me. I froze, thinking quickly of some excuse to brush off a butler or server.

"I was looking-"

"-for the bathroom. Yeah haven't heard that one before." the voice sounded bemused and I turned to apologize.

"I'm sorry. I- what?" Behind me stood not a maid, but a guy my age. Tousled black hair with his tie hung loose around his neck, and jacket was tossed haphazardly across his shoulder, made it look like he had just woken up. I glanced down and saw he had no shoes- but two mismatched socks on. "Uh, what's with the?" I gestured to him "mess?"

Chuckling, he straightened his tie and began to put on his coat. "I overslept and haven't exactly made my _debut_ to this stupid thing. As it's at my house-" he paused, muttering, "well it's technically not mine yet," then he straightened up, "I have to welcome everyone." His green eyes twinkled and I finally put it all together- he was the boy in the pictures.

"You live here...alright, well- good luck with that." I said, backing away. "I'm just going to-"

"Wait! Hang on, what's your name?" Figuring I'd get into some sort of trouble or gossip, I found it best to _not_ give this kid my name.

"Juliet." I told him, thinking of the first name that popped into my head. "Juliet Chase." _Great plan Annabeth. Now he can just look you up and know you're lying._

"Hmm. I didn't really picture you as a Juliet." he snapped his fingers. "I know, I'll call you Jules!"

"Kind of informal, don't you think?" I added.

He gave a small shrug. "Who cares. I'm Percy, by the way. Wait no." Percy buttoned his suit coat and spun around, lowering his voice he said.

"Jackson. Percy Jackson."

I let out a laugh. "That's your James Bond impression?" Then I snapped my fingers, imitating him. "I know, I'll call you Bond."

He grinned. "Sounds good, Jules. Now I've really got to open this party. See you around?" he walked around me, stooping over to pick up something.

"Can't forget these." He wiggled his shoes and ran down the rest of the hall. He still had bedhead hair, though I didn't think to mention it.

Once the party was in full swing, someone broke out the alcohol. I decided to walk away from the mass of teenagers and went outside to the backyard. Plopping down in a chair near a glass table, I pulled my shoes off. These were somehow worse than the last. My dress, a deep purple with all the style of any fashion magazine, was skin tight and itched like crazy. I couldn't wait to get it off, but I had to stay for the whole thing and since I'd been dropped off, I had no ride. People had followed me out and were drinking from fancy glassware, giggling, just on the brim of drunk. It had to at least be midnight, and I felt myself growing tired. I rested my head on my arms and leaned over the table as I tried to drown out the noise.

A large crash made me jump out of sleep. I sat up quickly, glancing around. Some guy had fallen into beach chairs and lay with his limbs awkwardly tangled, yet seemed to have passed out. Shaking my head, I looked around. Music still played inside and the talk was louder and brasher. People stumbled about- drunk. A screeching noise made me wince in irritation. I looked over across the table and there was Percy. His tie was loose again and hair wilder than ever.

"Hi." he said, drawing it out, then hiccuped. _Great._ He was drunk too.

"Hello Percy."

"No." he wined, "You're Jules and I'm Bond. Remember?" Then he scrunched his eyebrows. "Or was that some other girl..." He faded off, then put on a brilliant smile.

"So how are ya sweetheart? Fine party."

I grimaced, not in the mood to have an idiotic conversation with a drunk."

"Yeah sure- I'm going to go to the bathroom. Nice seeing you Percy." I stood up.

"You can't do that. You used that excuse last time." he hiccuped again, standing up with me.

"Then by all means, follow me to the bathroom." I told him, annoyed.

Percy seemed to think this was hilarious and giggled. "Oh. I see. What you mean." He snorted.

A group of girls, all with drinks in hands chose to waltz over at that moment and swoon over Percy.

"Ladies, ladies." he spoke lazily.

"Here, try this one." a girl said, handing him an auburn liquid. He swallowed it down quickly. I turned to get away from the scene when I heard a splash behind me. I spun around again and only saw bubbles. Hands broke the surface and a little face poked out of the water, gasping for air. It was a child.

"Help! Someone help me." I called, running to the edge.

Percy chuckled. One of the girls looked over at me, then at the water.

"I can't hun. It'll ruin my dress." _Unbelievable._

I jumped in. The water was warm and my dress only weighed me down. I panicked for a second, then located the child. I wrapped one arm around his waist and lifted him above the water, using my other to swim to the side.

"It's okay." I told him, slightly shaking from the adrenaline. When we reached the side, I lifted him up, before getting out myself. He must have been only four or five.

He was starting to cry. I lifted him up, holding him at my waist, walking over to Percy.

"Do any of you know who this is?"

Percy looked up from his drink he was holding.

"Hey! That's my bro. That's Tyson." He raised his glass. "To Tyson."

The girls cheered and drank too.

I snapped.

"Wow! I never knew this many people could be that self-centered. This little boy almost _drowned_. He's your brother Percy! If nothing else." I marched away from the table, where, Percy sat stunned, hopefully understanding any part of what I'd said.

I looked for the nearest butler and explained what happened.

"Thank you. I know no one cares right now, but they will later." he said. "Is there anything I can get you?"

"No- actually, could you call a car? I'd really like to just go home."

"Of course."

I walked out to the front of the house and sat on the stone steps, still dripping wet and feeling more hateful than ever towards the people who lived like me.


	2. Chapter 2

The last person I expected to see the morning after the party was Percy. I thought him to be too proud to fix mistakes, he probably would just push them to the side. Yet as the doorbell rang, and I attempted (unsucessfully) to shove the last bit of a poptart in my mouth, there he was, standing rather sheepishly with his hands tucked in his pockets.

"Hi. So, um, I've come to thank you." Percy began, clearing his throat. "I know that this is pretty lame but I'm really, really grateful. And I'm sorry that I had to put you through that."

The poptart inhibited me from making any comments, so I stood there, hoping my expression was conveying what I was trying to say: _that's nice but please leave._

Unfortunately, Percy didn't get it, so we stood in awkward silence until I swallowed.

"Apology accepted." I said curtly and closed the door.

I slid across the floor back to the kitchen.

 _If that boy knows what's good for him he'll go away and leave me alone._

I managed to grab a glass from the cupboard and some milk from the fridge before the doorbell rang again. I let out a heavy sigh.

 _Should I tell him to leave or ignore him._ The doorbell rang again, so I slowly walked back to the door.

"Yes?" I asked innocently, before noticing no one was at the door, but an envelope had been left on the ground.

I opened it to find a drawing inside. There was a picture of a pool and two poorly-drawn people with 'thanks you' written across the top. It made me smile. I walked back upstairs to tape it to my wall. Walking into my room, I managed to avoid my school backpack, but fell over the cat, Sav. She scurried away, her black tail whipping around the corner. "Stupid cat." I muttered under my breath, and stood up.

I glanced around my room. The blue walls were gleaming, which meant one of the maids had opened all of the curtains. My desk was tidy and the things I had taped up on my wall were now stacked in a pile on the floor. There was also a pile of clothes in the corner, that were clean and no reason for them to be out of my closet. Nope, not the maids, my step-mother. She was a perfectionist and some of my things were not deemed perfect. Mostly t-shirts and ripped jeans she didn't think were lady-like. The piles were meant to be collected and thrown away later. When I had come home last night and she saw that my dress had been ruined, she'd had a fit and this was her way of punishing me.

I had to hide my stuff, which my cousin, Malcom had helped me with years earlier. He'd built a secret compartment in my closet for things like this. I gathered the pile of clothes up and brought them to the closet. There was a small keypad where I entered the code 0712. My birthday. Not very secretive, but I doubted anyone in my family actual remembered. I walked back to get the pile of papers, when I saw the picture on the floor. It had been turned over. I hadn't even known there was another side. It was a letter:

 ** _Jules,_**

 ** _Cute picture huh? My little brother Tyson drew it for you. He thinks you're some kind of superhero._**

 ** _Anyway, I was pretty sure you wouldn't talk to me so I wrote this letter just in case. If we actually had a conversation,_**

 ** _then disregard this. I feel really bad about Tyson. He's my little brother and I would have never forgiven myself if_**

 ** _anything had happened to him. I just wish I hadn't_** ** _been completely drunk_** ** _and had to rely on someone else to save him._**

 ** _Don't get me wrong, I'm really glad you acted when you did. You were probably the most level-headed person there._**

 ** _So, thanks, again._**

 ** _But, I have another favor to ask you._**

 ** _Do you think you could come to my next party? This Saturday? And watch Tyson for me?_**

 ** _I know this probably makes you feel like a babysitter, but this event is the last one before I can get out of my Dad's_** _ **r̶e̶s̶t̶r̶a̶i̶n̶t̶s̶**_ ** _place._**

 ** _I don't really know anyone else here, and well you took care of him the first time I messed up._**

 ** _I'll explain later. Ya know, if you say yes._**

 ** _Thanks,_**

 ** _Percy :)_**

 ** _P.S._**

 ** _I knew Juliet wasn't your real name._**

Much to my annoyance, Percy was right. This was a babysitting job. But as irresponsible I thought he was, I knew what he meant when he was trying to get away from his dad.

And going to another party would make my mom happy. I glanced at the paper again. _Oh yeah and he knew you lied to him. But... Tyson would be safest in my hands._

I finally retrieved the stack of papers and put the letter on top, before sticking it all in the compartment.

It was getting kind of full of stuff, I'd have to ask Malcom to help me build another one the next time I saw him.

But for now I had to think about my decision.

* * *

I had let the thinking go too long. It was Saturday morning and I had still not made up my mind. I lay in bed weighing the consequences. Part of me didn't want to help because Percy's actions were so abhorrent. Part of me felt bad for the guy and for his brother. Percy didn't deserve _my_ time so that he could party without worrying about his brother. All these thoughts were spinning around in my head.

Just then my door swings open and my mother marches into my room with a new dress. I prop myself up with pillows.

"What's this?"

My step-mother tutted and hung the dress on the door of my closet.

"You are going to redeem yourself young lady. I expect you to return as you left." She turned to look at me. "The Jacksons are having another gathering, and you are going."

"What! No! You don't know what happ-"

My mother held her hand up. "Annabeth! Young ladies do not speak like that. You are going. You can get ready by yourself, or I can get you ready."

She walked out of my room and closed the door. I turned and screamed into my pillow. _That woman!_

My door reopened. "You leave at six, be ready by five. Also have a date, or I will arrange one for you."

My decision had been made for me.

* * *

At three I got in the shower. Steam rolled off me as I stepped out. I had a lot of work to do.

My dress was gorgeous, because, unfortunately, that was something my step-mother was good at. She had excellent taste and always knew what went well. Always.

It was a deep peach color with darker red near the bottom. It had sheer long- sleeves and cinched at the waist with hand-decorated designs downward where the material flowed just to the ground. I turned away from it because it wasn't time to get ready for the party. It was time to get ready for babysitting.

At five I walked down the stairs for my step-mother to make sure everything was in its place. My parents were sitting on the couch in our living room, each reading their respective literature. For my father, an auto-biography of a pilot and a fashion magazine for my step-mother. But both of them paused their reading to look up at me.

"Hmm.." my step-mother remarked, emotionless.

"You look lovely Annabeth." my dad complemented and returned to his reading.

My step-mother got up and was prowling around me like a predator circling its prey.

She was muttering to herself. "Not awful... take up... tuck this..."

Finally, she stopped behind me and was fiddling with my hair.

"Just tucking a few hairs back into place." she mumbled, concentrating.

I knew that was a lie and she was doing something fancy but if that was all she disproved of, I wouldn't complain. She pinned something back that really squeezed my head, but I would have to fix that later.

"Okay you are good to go. Your car will be out front in fifteen minutes." She pursed her lips together. "And your date...?"

"He's meeting me at the car drop off. Old-fashioned style."

My mother loved gentlemen, so she gave a tart smile which actually meant she was happy.

"You may have a small snack, as long as you don't spill anything on your dress."

My dad suddenly piped up. "Yes we wouldn't want you to be sopping wet before you even left the house, this time."

He guffawed and his wife chuckled. _They thought they were funny._

In the car I pulled some strands loose from my tight hairdo. Then I took off high heels and slid on some slippers: you couldn't tell with the length of my dress. I had opted for a larger purse which held some movies and a t-shirt. I was wearing sweats underneath my dress. Because hey, if I was going to babysit, I was going to do it in comfort. I arrived to the party unaccompanied, and if my step-mother found out, she'd have a heart attack. I would have to find someone to bring me home and call them my date. Luckily I'd arrived kind of early so not many people were there. I thanked the driver and began walking up to the 'castle' again.

As I got closer, I saw Percy standing near the door and he looked bored out of his mind. He saw me and I gave him a little wave.

Percy was staring and it started to make me self-conscious. I was standing right next to him before he said anything.

"You came." he blurted. I gave him a funny look.

"Yeah," I said tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "Yeah, well, I didn't really have a choice. My step-mother made me come."

He looked me up and down and chuckled. "Well you look nic-not like a babysitter." I raised my eyebrow.

"No, my step-mom doesn't know that's what I'm doing. Look." I shook my foot beneath the dress's material, revealing the slipper.

Percy smirked. "That matches perfectly."

"Just take me to Tyson."

"Will do." he held out his arm.

 _Percy Jackson always the charmer._


	3. Chapter 3

We make a fast right upstairs, past all the family photos and heirlooms that I had looked at (like they were in a museum) the last time I was here. Percy takes me into one of the rooms and the room was a complete mix of colors and chaos covering the walls. _If my step-mom saw this..._ I chucked quietly. The room was huge, and it seemed like a miniature home. There was a kitchen on the back wall, a sunken living room and TV, with two doors on the third wall, and a ping pong table on the wall where we came in.

"Those doors lead to mine and Tyson's rooms there's a bathroom between our rooms. There's plenty of food in the kitchen and you can watch whatever you want."

He paused and tilted his head, with a funny expression on his face, "Ew. I feel like a parent with telling you all this stuff... anyway, Tyson goes to bed around seven thirty or so. And if you have any problems just come get me downstairs."

It sounded pretty simple to me. Watch the kid. Make sure he doesn't drown. Easy. "Alright, it sounds good." I shrugged my shoulders. "I shouldn't have any problems, I've got a couple of younger step-brothers."

Percy nodded his head. He gave me a once-over and cleared his throat. "So um. Do you plan on babysitting in that?"

I raised my eyebrows. "Obviously not, I need to change."

"Well, I don't know." Percy joked, "I think the Princess Babysitter thing will blow Tyson out of his little mind."

I got my t-shirt out of my bag and ignored him. "How do I get to the bathroom exactly?"

"Left door, then right."

I walked into a miniature hallway and then on into the bathroom. I took my dress off and slipped my t-shirt on, and noted my appearance. My hair had been done into some fancy braid, but it kept the hair out of my face. There was a hanger on the door, so I slid my dress onto it. I stared at it for a while. If I was completely honest, I was a little bummed I wouldn't be wearing it, I really liked this dress. And I wouldn't ever wear it again. and then slipped out of the bathroom.

Percy was sitting on the couch fiddling with his tie and his little brother was sitting next to him. He tugged on Percy's arm and both boys looked at me.

"Remember Annabeth, Tyson? She's going to hang out with you tonight, okay bud?" Percy asked ruffling his brother's hair.

Tyson nodded. "And we aren't going to go swimming tonight right?" Tyson shook his head.

I leaned towards Percy. "Does he talk?"

"Yeah, he's just not very confident."

"How old is he?"

"Six." Percy then looked down at his watch. "Ah shi-" he stopped himself looking at his brother. "Well it's six and I should be meeting guests."

He glanced and Tyson, then Annabeth. "Uh, thanks, again. Have fun you two." Then he was out the door.

"Okay Tyson what would you like to do first? Do you want to watch a movie?" The boy nodded.

"What do you want to watc-"

"FINDING NEMO" the little boy blurted, running over to the TV. He knew exactly what he was doing, which was good because it was hard to figure out other people's TV's.

* * *

Half-way through the movie, Tyson fell asleep. His bedtime wasn't for a little while and I debated whether to move him or not. In the end, I scooped him up gently only to realize- I didn't know which bedroom was his. And he wasn't a light kid. I went with the closest one, on the left. Wiggling the doorknob with my elbow I managed to jiggle it open. The room was light blue with very few furnishings. It felt un-lived in- like a guest room, which was a shame because it was a beautiful room. There were carvings on the crown moldings, but before I was able to get a good look at them, my arms began to ache. Then I felt a tap on my shoulder so I turned and saw Percy behind me.

"Wha-?" he began to speak _rather_ loudly. I shushed him, raising up Tyson slightly. His green eyes got wide, realizing what had happened and motioned for me to follow him. We went through the bathroom to the other room, which was decorated with toys and fish stickers. This was Tyson's room. Percy pulled back the blankets and sheets, as I set Tyson down on his bed gently, trying not to wake him. Percy tucked him in and kissed his forehead. Then he turned and I followed him out of the room, closing the door softly.

Percy began rambling, "Sorry about that, I came to check on you and Tyson and saw my room open, I thought someone might've... stumbled up here. People do that sometimes, and it can be very-"

"Nope we're all good." I cut him off. "He just fell asleep and I wasn't sure which room was his."

"Oh. Alright."

There was an awkward silence.

"Would you like something to drink?" Percy questioned.

"Uh, no I'm good," I responded hastily, "I don't usually drink anyway."

Percy grinned and shook his head. "I'm not an alcoholic Annabeth. Do you want water or juice or soda or something."

"Water's fine then." I replied, slightly embarrassed. "And I'm sorry for judging you."

He laughed coldly. "You have every right." he spoke quietly. "I've never done anything so stupid. I haven't had anything to drink- because I still feel so guilty. But at the same time, it takes away the stupidity of these parties. You win some, you loose some."

I shuffled my feat uncomfortably while Percy retrieved two bottles of water out of his fridge and sat down on the couch.

He offered one to me and I plopped down next to him.

"You know, I feel kind of over-dressed." Percy said offhandedly.

I smiled. "If it makes you feel better, I feel under-dressed."

"Really?"

"No."

"Oh."

I took a sip of my water. "So."

"So." Percy agreed.

"Why is your room so empty?"

He let out a deep sigh.

"Because I hate it here. Because its not somewhere I want to get used to living."

"Oh. Then why don't you leave?"

Percy gave me a glare. "Seriously? I don't have a choice. Why don't you leave your house Annabeth?"

I felt bad, but mostly because he was right. I had no way to escape, no place to go.

"My mom and dad are divorced. And right now I'm living with my dad." Percy loosened his tie. "My dad wants me to take over his company in a few years and I'll get the house with it. I hadn't lived with him for a long time, but now he wants me to become... familiar with things around here. He threatened to sue for custody if I didn't start visiting."

"So what about Tyson?" I asked, instantly regretting it. It wasn't my business.

"My dad hooked up with some other... lady... and well... He doesn't know my mom. But he knows of her.

And since he's not technically hers I can't bring him with me when I live with my mom."

"I'm sorry about that." I mumbled.

"Well, you know how it works. The people with money and power get to control whatever they want to."

I knew all to well. When my step-mother had first starting becoming a part of my life, I'd gone with her lots of places. I was little and my dad was too busy to watch over me. So I sat in the back of business meetings and learned all about how politics really work.

I was starting to get a headache.

"Percy?"

"Hmm."

"I'll take a drink now."

Percy sat up and looked her in the eyes. "You're sure?"

I nodded.

"Okay, we have to go downstairs to get one? Or I can just bring one up if you want?"

"No, I'll come, let me get back into my dress."

* * *

"Drink this. It actually tastes good." Percy held out a golden liquid to me. "We can try it at the same time."

I was a little concerned that Percy was drinking, but then again, I was supposed to be the un-intoxicated one.

 _He probably tolerates more than I can._ I wasn't sure if I should be concerned about that or not. So I shrugged my shoulders and took a sip. It tasted like honey, but still with the sharp taste of alcohol.

Percy led me over to a couch and we just sat and let the alcohol sink in. The music pumped up and slowed down, and all the while the laughter got louder.

"Want to dance?" Percy asked.

"Sure. Why not." I told him. _The alcohol is getting to my brain..._

He took my hand to pull me on the dance floor, and then took my waist with the other. I looked up at him. His dark hair was still ruffled and his green eyes still bright and,

okay, so he wasn't that awful to look at.

"So tell me more about your mom." I asked.

He broke into a huge smile. "She's great. She runs her own little candy shop in downtown New York."

"Yeah, it's about an hour from here and I get to go to public school because I live with her more."

That sounded amazing. I would love to go to public school, all I had was a tutor. And the only time I met other people was at social events, and even then I didn't meet very many people.

"That's lucky."

"Yeah it really is. I've got awesome friends there." He laughed. "The parties are different too. There's still drunk kids, but it's a different kind of drunk."

Percy paused, thinking about something. "It's weird. Coming and going. Jumping from one lifestyle to the next."

We left the dance floor and began walking around his house. I let Percy talk. He was good at talking, he talked with purpose and not just to ramble or brag.

"I help my mom at the shop after school and it's become the high-school's hangout."

"Oh! And there's a great skate park nearby our house. And, not my forte, but one of my friends likes to visit bookstores and there's a few around town to choose from."

"And there was this one time..."

He rambled on for a while, but the more Percy talked, the more I wished I could live like him. At the same time, he seemed more stretched than I did. Trying to fit into two worlds. His mother seemed like the mother I'd wanted, the mother I might have had. And his father was like all the rest of the rich. Tossing their problems on other people. Tyson wasn't really Percy's responsibility, yet he took care of his step-brother.

"What are you thinking about?" he asked me. I hadn't realized it, but we hadn't talked for a little while.

"I was just thinking about how- how you need to forgive yourself and let this Tyson thing go."

"Well he was-"

"He wasn't your responsibility. Did you act like a douche, yeah. But it wasn't your fault. Plenty of people were there. Way less intoxicated than you were."

Percy was quiet. "I'm glad you were there then."

We had made it to the front of the house.

"Thank you for babysitting Tyson."

"Ah. It was really pretty easy." I laughed.

Percy laughed with me. "I can pay you if you need the money you know. So you can buy yourself a pair of slippers to match your dress."

"Ha- ha. I actually need a favor... I kind of told my parents I had a date that was meeting me here and that he would bring me home. But-"

"You don't actually have a date. Say no more, I'll take ya home."

He called a butler to pull up a car.

"I have kind of a weird proposition for you." he said oddly.

"Okay?" I said uncertainly.

"I know how I can make up your favors for me."

"Oh, you don't have to-"

He raised his hand. "Ah! But I will. I will grant you a gift. A gift of friendship." He grined like he thought he was clever and gave me a lopsided smiled.

"Umm-"

"Wait! Just hear me out. I understand if you never want to see my face again. But I think it'd be nice to have a friend here. And I think it'd be nice for you to have a friend here too."

 _Well he isn't wrong... But. C'mon Annabeth- you really don't have any friends because everyone is so fake and all for fortune and success._

 _And Percy doesn't seem like a horrible person-_

Percy touched my forehead and I relaxed. Which was odd, I hadn't known I'd become so tense. I looked at him, surprised.

"Stop thinking about it and just say yes." he told me.

There was something about this boy that was so completely different from anyone I had ever met. And I was curious to figure out what it was.

I gave him a smirk.

"Well hello there, friend."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry about the wait; I've had a very rough year and was pretty much set on giving up writing. Some things have reminded me of why I shouldn't (including all of your kind comments!). Thanks for all the continued support! Writing will be far and few between but I'm not stopping! So without further à deux… chapter 4!**

* * *

I was just bored. That was all. Bored. I picked up my phone and made the call. It rang twice before being answered. The voice on the other end attempted to say something that sounded like: "uh-llo?"

"Hey it's me- uh- Annabeth."

"Annabeth! My new friend! How goes it?" answered Percy, more audible this time.

"It goes." I replied.

"Why are you calling me at- at eight in the morning! Ah, never mind. I was going to call you when I got up. Wanna to do something stupid?" he asks, stupidly.

"No, I'm not feeling particularly stupid today, actually." I pause, "But what do you have in mind?"

I watched as a kid started to cry as he's told by a worker that he's not tall enough to ride. _Calm down Annabeth._ But I started to think instead. If he's not tall enough, that means there are requirements. And requirements mean that something could go wrong. And if something could go wrong, well I was not interested.

"This isn't stupid! This is dangerous!" I say (yell) to Percy.

He chuckles, "Oh c'mon, my mom has even ridden it."

We were standing in line for Cyclone, the roller coaster at Coney Island, which Percy has somehow gotten me into riding it. I thought we would hang around, try our luck with a few games. Now, thinking back on it… Percy doesn't seem like the one to spend a whole day in one place.

"Nope." I muttered, turning to leave. "Nope, nope, nope."

Percy caught my shoulders. "Hey! You are _going_ to do this! Live a little!"

I began to retort but the rider worker began ushering us to our seats. Things happened quickly and before I could register anything, we were at the top. I gripped the bar across my lap.

"This can't be safe!" I yelled at Percy as we hurled down. I could hear him yelling in excitement over the top of my scream.

"Put your hands up Annabeth! It's fun! Trust me!"

I let go of the bar with one hand, and slowly let go with my other.

"Great!" Percy called. "Now put them up!"

I did, right as we began to slow down, and eventually pulled to a stop.

Percy grinned, his hair a complete mess. I could only imagine what mine looked like.

"Wasn't that fun!" he cheered.

"I suppose." I said, but smiled anyway. The worker released the bar and I was surprised that I wanted to ride it again.

"Let's celebrate. C'mon, let's get some ice cream!" Percy suggested, hoping out of the cart.

We stepped inside the first shop we saw, and it was pretty crowded.

I started rambling, "Actually, it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I thought I would throw up or something. But no! I'm fine!"

"Have you not ridden a coaster before?" Percy questioned.

"No- I have, but not ones for those 'thrill-seekers'. Mostly kiddie ones. Usually I'm with my brothers." I explained.

"Oh! You've got siblings? How old are they?"

"Well technically they're step-brothers and they're eleven. Twins."

"So, um, who remarried?" Percy asked cautiously.

"My dad." I hesitated, "And I don't really like to talk about my mom so-."

"That's fine. How's your step-mom? Is she nice?"

I laughed harshly. "Sure, she's nice to her guests, not to me though. If she doesn't like something of mine, she'll throw it out."

"That sucks. Poseidon and I pretty much leave each other alone."

An energetic employee began talking, effectively breaking up our conversation. "Hi guys! What can I get for y'all?"

"I'll get the blue raspberry sherbet, in a bowl. Annabeth?"

"Strawberry please, bowl too."

The lady scooped our ice cream and handed it to us.

"You seem like a cone person. Why the bowl?" I asked.

Percy sighed dramatically. "I've had too many ice creams spills when they've been in a cone. So I play it safe and get the boring bowl." He frowned.

"You know you can get it on a cone and then have them put it in a bowl." I remarked.

His face lit up. "Really?"

I nodded and we scooted to the cashier. I began to pull my wallet out when Percy stopped me.

"Uh-uh! My treat for my brave friend." He said passing over the money. "Can I actually get a cone too?"

While Percy waited for his cone, I sat down at a table with the roller coaster in perfect view. He joined me a few seconds later, with the cone stuck on his ice cream like a hat.

"Isn't this kind of weird?" I blurted.

Percy took the seat across from me, and made an inquisitive face. "Isn't what weird?"

"This. Us? We've only know each other, what? A week?"

He rolled his eyes. "Nah. In that time, you've saved my brother's life, and agreed to be my friend." He pointed at me with his spoon. "This is what friends do."

I guess he had a point. If I was being totally honest with myself, I didn't have very many friends, so it made sense I didn't know how to make them.

We sat and ate our ice cream, just watching people pass by.

Percy broke the silence. "Do you want to do some games?"

"Sure." I shrugged, looking at him. "Um, Percy?"

"Yeah?"

"You've got ice cream on your face." I chuckled.

"Aw man." He grumbled. "It's the cone I tell ya. It's bad luck."

Maybe, _maybe_ forty-five minutes later, Percy was already complaining.

"How do people spend all their time here? I just don't get it. There's only so many times someone can lose."

I would have punched his shoulder, but I was now the proud owner of a giant dolphin. "You're just mopey because I beat you."

He grumbled as we made our way to our cars, the sound of the carnival dying down as we got further away.

"You can have this you know." I said, offering him the dolphin.

His eyes lit up like a little kid, but then he mellowed out. "Nah, you won it fair in square."

"No seriously." I laughed, shoving it to him. "Payback for the ice cream, and helping me get over roller coasters."

Percy gave me a grin and a big hug. "Thanks! You're the best!"

Laughing again, I unlocked my car and climbed in. I watched Percy through my window as he got in his car and buckled the stuffed animal in the passenger seat.

This was such an altered Percy from that night at the party. It made me wonder what I'd be like away from all the chaos of my life. If it was like this… well I only dreamed things like this.


	5. Chapter 5

"C'mon, c'mon, hurry up!"

Percy and I were crossing a particularly crowded street in downtown New York, and he was pulling me along fairly quickly. He had one hand on my wrist (which had several bags on them) so I had to use my other to hold on to my hat that was just short of flying off my head.

"Percy! Woah!" I nearly trip as he pulls me on the sidewalk.

"Hey! Percy!"

"Annabeth." He let go of my wrist and whined, "You _know_ today is free sample day down at the food trucks."

This happened once a month. I had been with Percy twice and the last time, his favorite food truck promised to have his favorite food (grilled cheese sandwiches) as samples. So today he was especially eager.

"Go on ahead, I'll catch-up, I've got all this stuff." I held up the bags.

"Thanks! You're the best!" He flashed me a toothy smile and weaved between people as he ran down the block.

I sighed. The past couple of months had been some of the best times of my life. Percy was so different from what I was used to, and it was like a breath of fresh air. Away from everything I had been stuffed into. If I didn't want to go to a party (sorry, 'get-together'), I would just tell my parents I was going to Percy's. They seemed to approve of this, so I'd had the freest summer in years. I was actually going to be sad summer was over, like a normal teenager for once.

Unfortunately, the end of the summer meant that Percy was heading back to his mom- don't get me wrong, it's great for him, but it means I'm left by myself. I pushed _that_ thought aside, as I had been doing more and more often as summer's end drew nearer.

I looked around at the carts, looking for messy black hair. I spotted him about five carts down, chatting with some old man, and made my way over.

"Hey, there you are." I grinned. "Got your sandwich?"

"No, no, no. You don't understand, it is not just a sandwich. This is the best grilled cheese I've ever had. Ever! I was just telling Bob so. Thank you again!" Percy made a scene of kissing the sandwich before taking a bite.

The old man smiled, sticking out his hand to me. "Your friend is too kind, he gets one of our sandwiches every time he's in town. Anyway, you must be Annabeth, nice to finally meet you."

I shook his hand, but must've looked confused because he belted out a laugh. "Oh. That boy's mentioned you a fair amount of times before. Here." He handed me a sandwich in a parcel. "He made sure we would have one for you too."

"Man, it's been a while since I've seen mom." Percy mumbled through bites of his sandwich.

"I wonder if there's any new candy in the store. And if we could snag some samples." He wiggled his eyebrows.

I chuckled, "She's the _owner_ , Percy. I'm sure you'll get some samples."

He stuck his tongue out at me as we waltzed into the store.

"Mom! Annabeth and I are here." Percy called.

The store was a nice set-up. It had little chairs, cushions, and tables that you could move around. Percy told me how it was a great place for studying because you could always get candy to keep you hyper and awake. He and his friends usually hung out after school here. There were stands organized by color and flavor. It was pretty organized, and very appealing to any kid walking pass. Sally Jackson appeared from behind the counter, wiping her hands on her apron.

"And how are two of my favorite people?" Sally asked.

"Percy is fantastic, he got his grilled cheese." I stated

Percy held up his food in affirmation. "They've got the best cheese in town, I swear."

He slung his arm around his mom. "By the way, do you think you could give 'two of your favorite people' some samples of the new candies around?"

Sally's eyes twinkled. The same way Percy's did when he was feeling especially content, sort of like right now, like there's no other place he'd rather be.

"Of course, just give me one second." She moved her son's arm off her shoulder and made her way into the back room.

"Man, she's the best." Percy sighed.

"Yeah, yeah she is." I muttered. Sally Jackson was like the mom I never had. Because I'd had two. One who left and one who doesn't care. I could see how much Sally cared for Percy. He was her world. It must be really hard to let him go to his father's.

Percy glanced over at me and got a worried look on his face.

"Hey. You okay?" He knew what I was thinking about. "Hey, it's okay to be sad about these things. And to wish they were different. Okay?"

I nodded. A couple of weeks ago I had told Percy about my real mom, and how she'd left my dad and me.

 _"That was a stupid thing for her to do." He scoffed, "Now she doesn't get to see the amazing person you're becoming."_

 _I looked down at my shoes. "I'm not that great."_

 _Percy grabbed my chin and titled it up so I was staring at his bright green eyes. His eyebrows were all scrunched up and his eyes searched mine, full of concern._

 _"Yes, you are. You're wonderful. Don't let anyone tell you different." He told me and pulled me into a tight hug._

I shook off the memory. Honestly, after that night, I didn't feel so burdened with the thought that my mom left me because she didn't want me.

"Here we are…" Sally presented us with purple and pink taffies. "The purple ones are huckleberry and the pink ones are pink lemonade."

Percy grabbed the lot and took it over to the nearest table, dropping it on the surface. I walked over and plopped down in the seat, removing the bags from my arms.

"This is great!" Percy mumbled through the taffy. "I told mom to get pink lemonade last time so this means she listens to me sometimes."

I glanced at his unfinished sandwich. "How come I'm always eating some type of food when I'm with you?"

"Because food is amazing. And I'm a growing boy, I need-" Percy looked at the pile of candy in front of him and gave it a funny look. "Well, I was going to say protein, but then I remembered this is pure sugar."

I burst out laughing and Percy joined me a second later.

I got home later than I usually do that night, so I tried to be quiet, slowing closing the door behind me. Shuffling shoes scared me and I whirled around.

"What are you doing out so late, Annabeth?" my dad said, moving closer to me.

"I. Well-" I muttered.

"Never mind, just be glad it's me and not your mother."

"She's not my mother." I retorted.

"She is. You should move on Anna."

"Don't call me that." I grumbled. "What's your problem anyway? I've come home later than this before."

He frowned at me, thinking for a moment. "I don't like Poseidon's kid. His father is not honest in his business dealings."

I scoffed, "And you are?! Are you joking?!"

"Keep your voice down." He hissed. "The only reason I allow you to go with that boy is because your mother thinks Poseidon is a good business asset. She thinks the boy is getting close to you for business reasons, so she's okay with it."

I pushed pass him, heading upstairs, not wanting to hear anymore. How could my step-mother be so cruel? _That's not true. It's not… true._ I kept telling myself. It couldn't be. Percy was so nice and different from the incident. _But he was awful that night, really awful._ Be he'd changed. Right? He had become my friend so quickly, which was odd.

 _Maybe…_

I hated this. Thinking everyone was going behind my back. But there was a small part of me that couldn't deny that it made total sense.


	6. Chapter 6

It was late afternoon, and I had stayed in my room all day. My phone rang for the umpteenth time as I lay in bed. I had tossed it in the corner of my room at some point. Percy was calling me and I wasn't sure why I was still ignoring him.

My dad had stuck this idea in my head that I couldn't get rid of. _That boy… good business asset._ I had laid awake all night thinking about it. _Why do I even care?! It's not like I haven't met people like that before. Yeah but I thought Percy was like me._ Of course he was. He loathed his dad. He was funny and sweet and he really loves his mom... and brother. _He's got nice hair too. Shut up._

 _Percy's done nothing but been kind and friendly to me, and I start to accuse him at the first sign of trouble. I can trust him, as he has me._ My phone buzzed again. _Crap I need to call Percy back._ I jumped off my bed, but as soon as I picked up my phone I saw it die. I swore and fell back on my bed.

"Annabeth?" my step-mother called from behind my closed door.

"I'm sleeping." I whined.

"You've got a visitor. Are you decent?"

"Yeah, I guess. Who is it?"

Instead of an answer, I heard mumbled voices and then door flipped open.

Percy stumbled in and started talking. "Are you okay? You didn't answer your phone."

I looked down. "Yeah. I'm really sorry. I just- I had a rough night. That's all."

His eyes were full of concern. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No. No, it's okay now." I lied. This is why I cared. Because _he_ cared.

"I just want to get away from here." I mumbled.

"C'mon." Percy offered me his hand. "I've got a good place in mind."

I took it and he pulled me off the bed, launching me into him.

"Woah. Sorry." He said, laughing softly.

I took a shaky breath and stepped away. _That was weird._

 _I can trust him,_ I reminded myself. Pointing to my closet I said, "I want to show you something."

I pushed some clothes aside, revealed my safe and put the code in. "It's my birthdate."

"What's all this?" Percy asked as I opened it.

"It's everything my step-mom has thought I've gotten rid of. Anything _she_ doesn't like, she lets me 'throw it out' or she ends up doing it herself."

Percy went for something in the safe, then hesitated. "Can I-"

"Sure." I shrugged. "I'm going to pick something out to wear."

I grabbed a yellow sundress and a blue Armani jacket.

"I think you should wear this, where we're going." I turned and saw Percy holding up a pair of ripped capris and one of my favorite shirts. It was white with a weird geometric pattern. When my step-mother had put this one in a pile, I had argued with her. She had told me that it was "sloppy" and "juvenile."

"Really? Where are we going?"

"Somewhere stupid." He grinned.

We were laughing with joy as we zoomed down the road.

"Your face!" Percy exclaimed. "You thought you were dead!"

"It's not funny!" I said, laughing. "I didn't think she would see us before she left!"

Percy and I had left the house in a hurry, so my outfit wouldn't be torn apart, but we were stopped by my parents on the way out.

He let out another chuckle. "That was scarier than sneaking out."

"I told you. She's evil."

"What's this?" I asked, confused.

Percy had parked across from a bank.

"This isn't the place, it's just a safe spot for a car like this." He gave his sports car a pat. "C'mon."

We walked down a couple blocks and I could see a few people gathered outside an apartment building.

"Is that where we're going?"

"Yup. I'm taking you to a _real_ party." He grinned. "It's pretty different you'll find. I thought it was a good idea. You know- not something fancy-"

I shook my head, a smile spreading across my face. "This is perfect."

People recognized Percy as we walked through the building and he would send a wave, but keep moving.

"This apartment's owned by one of my friends. The whole thing." He explained. I nodded. "Piper McLean? Do you know her?"

McLean. Her father was a famous actor. I'd been to some of their formals.

"Yea. Sort of."

"We'll she got into trouble and now she lives out here, on her own.

"Oh."

"She's fine. She likes it a lot better out here anyway."

We made our way into the first apartment, which turned out to be the whole floor, with an elevator running in the back. There was loud music throughout the floor and a lot of people were dancing around randomly. I bumped into someone and they managed to hand me a half-drunk bottle of beer. Percy took it from me and set it on the nearest table.

"Not this stuff." He put his hand on my back and guided me to the elevator.

"Up?" I asked. He shook his head.

"Down." He said as the doors opened.

Three girls danced and screamed as they came out of the elevator. Percy and I rushed in and closed the doors quickly.

"Wow." I said. "Different is right."

Percy frowned. "If you don't like it…"

"No, no." I waved it off. "It seems like a lot more fun, actually."

The doors dinged open to a basement- which was basically a wine cellar, full of a bunch of different types of alcohol. There a long counter in front of all the drinks, and a guy standing behind it like a barista.

"Percy!" the guy called.

"Leo! Hey! It's been a long time man." He went over and gave him a fist bump.

The guy- Leo- noticed me and glanced at Percy.

"Percy and lady-friend." He said wiggling his eyebrows.

Percy chuckled. "This is Annabeth. She's new here."

"Oh? Well Annabeth, if you ever want to ditch this garbage, and come hang with me, you can okay?" Leo remarked. "All right. What'll it be today guys?"

"Something not too fancy, but not crappy either. Two please."

Leo snapped his fingers. "Back in a jiff."

He dropped below the counter and popped right back up with two glasses in his hands.

"Alright guys, here ya are."

"Thanks Leo." Percy said, grabbing the beers.

We turned to the elevator where about ten people tumbled out, some of them already very drunk.

"Fourth floor this time." Percy told me. "And if you hold the button down, it'll go straight there.

The elevator did as Percy said, but as the doors opened to reveal several couples on couches and up against walls.

"Ah! Wrong floor. Wrong floor. These doors won't-" Percy whispered urgently and they began to close very slowly. He smacked his head. "Sorry, third floor, not fourth."

"You been on the fourth floor before?" I smirked.

"No." he said quickly. "Well I don't _think_ so."

"You don't think so?"

"Hey if I have. I was drunk. So." He popped the lid off the beers on the railing lining the elevator.

Handing me one he said, "Cheers."

I took a sip and made a face. Beer was not great.

Percy was grinning. "Yeah, it's kind of strong. You don't have to finish it."

I raised my eyebrow. "Oh I'm going to finish it." And I started to take the whole thing down.

Percy looked impressed as I finished.

"Hey. Have we moved?" I glanced at the wall of numbers. None of them were lit up.

"Ah, I guess we didn't push it." He reached to press, but I blocked his hand.

"Your turn. You finish it and I'll push the button."

He gave me a funny look. "You are especially bold today Annabeth." He said and finished off his beer.

I pushed for floor three and we moved downward. The doors opened to a more crowded room, full of just about everything. People were passed out, making out, and still up and dancing.

"This is where the real fun is." Percy whispered in my ear.

I made my way to the kitchen area, dropping off my bottle in the sink, Percy followed me.

"Hey! This is the stuff from that second night!" Percy yelled.

"What?" I called back.

He held up a bottle of golden liquid.

"Don't worry. I got you." He said, pouring it into two cups.

This was so weird. It was like the party you only see in the movies. Red solo cups, dirty dancing, maybe a better alcohol selection, but way better than any other party I'd been to.

"Here you go. Oops." Percy spilled a little on my jacket.

"It's fine." I took my jacket off and slung it on a chair. "Thanks." I said, taking a sip. _Much better than beer._

"So. Do you like it so far?" Percy said, a little too loud.

"Yeah I do thanks for bringing me." I replied, also too loudly and quickly.

He poured more alcohol into both of our cups.

Percy finished off his cup and offered me his hand. "Wanna dance?"

"Yea, one sec." I gulped down the rest of mine and pulled him to the middle of where people were dancing.

He put his hands on my waist and stepped on my foot.

"Sorry."

"It's okay."

Percy stepped on my foot, again. He laughed. "We've done this before. Not that hard."

"Yeah but we weren't not as drunk." I frowned. _Did that make sense?_

I grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer. "There. Now it'sharder to step on my feet."

I looked up at him. He had a soft expression on his face.

"You're really pretty." He said suddenly, giving a hiccup. "Really pretty."

"You're just drunk." I told him.

He was searching my eyes again. _Why does he do that? It's not fair, cuz it makes him cute and stuff,_ I thought, drunkenly.

"I'm going to kiss you." He stated.

"Okay?" I laughed, he wasn't serious.

But Percy leaned closer and hesitated.

"Annabeth?" he whispered, close enough to feel his breath on my face.

Then his lips met mine and I felt my eyes flutter closed as our lips moved together. He pulled back, and his brilliant eyes were all lit up. _What? What was that?_

Sirens. I was hearing sirens.

"Is that because of us?" I giggled.

"Probably." He shrugged.

"Then should we- ya know- leave? Maybe?"

Percy grabbed my hand and grinned.

"Run."

We crammed into the elevator with around twelve other people and rushed outside to the backyard. He jumped on a wall and helped me up and we both landed in the next yard. Running and laughing was not a good combination. Being a little drunk didn't help either. We made it past one building before we had to stop. I could hear more sirens in the distance.

"Man, I feel kinda bad. Piper's going to get in trouble again." Percy glanced over the wall.

"We should probably go." I told him and he nodded in agreement. We started to make our way back to the bank.

I was starting to get cold. _Where was my-_ I swore. "My jacket. I left it at the party."

"It's a bad idea to go back and get it." Percy warned.

I shoved him and rolled my eyes. "I know, stupid. My step-mom is going to kill me."

"Here." Percy said, shrugging his own jacket off. "Take this one."

"Nah. I'm alright." I told him, but he kept it held out in front of him, so I took it.

"Thanks." I muttered.

"No problem."

We walked to his car in silence. Percy searched his pockets for the keys, and for a second I'd thought he'd lost them. Then he laughed.

"They're in the thing. The thing I gave you."

"What? What's in what?"

"You know… the keys… in the jacket." He giggled.

"Oh." I got them out, unlocked the car, and we got in.

"Um, Annabeth. I'm not sober yet." He said, giving a hiccup.

"Yeah, me either."

"We can sleep in the car until one of us wakes up sober enough to drive home."

I shrugged. "Fair enough."

Percy began to snore almost immediately, but I had trouble falling asleep.

 _He'd kissed me. What was up with that?_


End file.
